Chicago Church VBS = Very Big Summer Reach Out
Two-week VBS helps Broadview reach neighbors
By Meredith Day, communications specialist
BROADVIEW, Ill. | Vacation Bible School looks a little different at Broadview Missionary Baptist Church near Chicago. Instead of one week, they stretch the lessons, music and crafts over two. And Broadview’s VBS isn’t just for elementary school-aged kids; students of all ages are welcome. But the biggest difference is at the very beginning: To kick off VBS, Broadview stages a community parade, complete with a marching band, floats, and hundreds of church members.
Every year, Broadview, located in a western Chicago suburb of the same name, welcomes hundreds of people for its two-week VBS, held in two sessions each day. The dual sessions, which meet from 12:30-2 p.m. and 6:30-8:30 p.m., allow adults who work in the evenings to attend during the day, while parents who work during the day can bring their children to the evening session. Extending VBS to two weeks also gives teachers extra time to focus on lessons from the Bible, and to build relationships with their students said Broadview Pastor Marvin Parker.
This year’s VBS saw an average of 600 people each day, and a total registration of more than 1,000. Broadview’s VBS leaders chose LifeWay’s Saddle Ridge Ranch curriculum because of its in-depth Bible studies and strong Scriptural foundation. Each VBS session includes crafts, music and snack time, but the focus is always on the lesson.
“Our emphasis is building up people,” Parker said. “The best way to build them up is through the Word of God.”
VBS at Broadview is primarily a way to reach out to the community. In fact, Parker said it’s the church’s “greatest outreach movement of the year.” In the weeks before VBS, Broadview sends out thousands of flyers, and church members prayer walk in neighborhoods near the church or go door-to-door to invite families to VBS. The largest outreach effort is the annual parade. As they walk along the nearly 2-mile parade route, Broadview members invite children and families in the community to participate in the coming weeks.
Because of torrential rains and subsequent flooding that impacted the Chicago area the weekend before VBS, this year’s parade was cancelled. But Parker said his congregation, and Broadview’s VBS, still benefitted from the preparation efforts.
“Even though the Lord rained on our parade, it was still a great time of fellowship,” Parker said. “We had hundreds of people working on the parade. That in itself is good fellowship. They spent hours together, doing the work of the Lord.”
Like Broadview, more and more Illinois Baptist churches are finding creative ways to use Vacation Bible School as an outreach tool said Dale Davenport, IBSA Education director.
“Some churches hold a block party before VBS begins, while others may set up a booth at a county fair or farmer’s market. Some even print flyers to hang in grocery stores or banks.” The goal, Davenport said, is to find a way to get the word out. VBS promotion, especially in the case of a parade, requires much planning but can reap great rewards when families respond to the Gospel.
“Any church can impact their community if they have the right passion, but it takes passion and commitment. At Broadview, they’re trying to live Christ, to be a New Testament church that is reaching out in their community, in the state and in the world. They’re trying to instill that passion and commitment into the lives of their people.
“It’s those people who are committed to say, ‘It isn’t convenient to do this, but it’s necessary if we want to see our neighborhood changed, if we want people come to know Jesus.’”
Broadview’s VBS Director Susan Dew said that’s the ultimate goal, from the opening assembly to the final session on Friday night, when the church hosts a closing celebration.
“The kids work hard for their closing program, and the adults do, too. That brings them back,” Dew said of parents who bring their children to VBS. “And if nothing else, it gets them to visit the church again.”
If your church hosted a Vacation Bible School this summer, IBSA’s Education office would love to hear about how VBS impacted your community. For information on how to send in your report, or to receive a report form, call (217) 391-3124.
IBSA will host a preview of LifeWay’s 2011 Vacation Bible School (Big Apple Adventure) and Club VBS (Beach Blast) resources on October 30, from 8:30 a.m. to noon at the IBSA Building in Springfield. For more information, call (217) 391-3124 or e-mail cathwaters@IBSA.org.
